Days Gone By.........

Frosty is back!  Dad, Joshua, and Luke
with an Irish version of Frosty!

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

It has been so much fun playing outside for the last several days, and now winter returns again.  Both of you are thrilled to see the snow again.  How easily you had forgotten that we have had several snow falls this year when you said, "Mom, you gotta let me play in it.  I have not been able to make a snowman since Isaac and Levi were here (at Christmas)!"  But I could not let them resist playing out there today.  It was fun to play in the snow while it was snowing!!!!

Earlier this week in the seventy degree weather, you both had a blast getting your bikes out, riding the scooter, and just walking around outside and exploring the yard after a long winter.  One afternoon Joshua sat out at the table on the patio and did his "homework" which was not official homework from school, but several phonics pages from a workbook that he played around with last year.  Luke had a lot of fun playing soccer and swinging and climbing on the swing set. 



Joshua and the Green Team receiving medals
at the basketball award ceremony. 



These days remind me of the many days that Tina and I used to love playing in our back yard.  We would take the horses, fences, and the riders of course outside to the yard.  We would make riding trails and watering holes in the dirt as well as have Cowgirl Jane ride all over the yard on her horse.  We would take Hot Wheels outside and do the same.  I preferred the horses so much more since my big sister, Tina, loved them so much.  Just about everything she did was cool with me! :) 

We had a swimming pool in our backyard which made for many fun days in the sun.  It was a lot of work to help keep up, or so it seemed while I was growing up.  We were in the pool a lot. Many of the neighborhood kids wanted to come to our house and swim.  There was always someone to play with.  When we weren't in the pool, we were riding bikes around the neighborhood and playing tag.  We would play outside from morning till dark - catching lightening bugs, discovering a new spot in the yard, playing with the dogs....Ginger was my favorite.....  I hope you two enjoy our backyard as much as I enjoyed mine growing up.

Here is Joshua dribbling down the court in his last game of the season!  Go Green Team!!!!!

I love you both more today than I did yesterday.

Love,

Mama

"God Made Me This Way"

Joshua and Luke after a hair cut with Miss Sarah. 

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

Sarah:  "Why do you like chocolate so much?"
Luke:  "Because God made me that way."

Yes, that was a conversation that took place between Sarah and Luke this week.  Here is another conversation:

(An ambulance with a siren is going by while we are pulled over on the side of the road.)
Joshua:  " Mom, did you make the sign of the cross?"
Mom:  "No, why?  Did someone tell you to do that?"
Joshua:  "Yes, Sarah.  She told us to make the sign of the cross when an ambulance is going by, and to pray for the person that is hurt inside."
Mom:  "What a great idea, Joshua.  I will start doing that, too."

Sarah is a special part of our lives, and has been since Joshua was three months old.  We met Sarah when we started looking for someone to care for Joshua while Eric was working during the day.  It started out with a few hours a day, but has worked it's way into Sarah being a BIG part of our lives. 

Joshua responded so well to Sarah from the beginning.  Sarah seemed to love playing and taking care of Joshua right away, too.  Then, when Luke came along, Sarah was right there with us, too.  She proudly held Luke when he was just one day old, and she has been loving him ever since. 

Sarah is more than just a sitter or a nanny.  She is a part of our family.  She has spent most of the boy's birthdays with us, several Christmas Eve's, baptisms, funerals, t-ball and soccer games, Little Gym......and so many parts of our lives.  She has been with us through a lot of fun times and some sad times.  I can not even begin to try to list all of the things that she helps with and does with the boys.  We are so lucky to have her in our lives.  Even though Sarah is five years older now, she still loves the boys and spends a lot of time with them.  She knows the boys very well, and treats them very special.  She takes them to softball games, and sometimes just wants to spend time with them at her parent's house. 

Luke holding a sweater that Miss Sarah just
gave him for Christmas 2008.

Now, Sarah comes over in the mornings to get the boys ready for school, takes them to school, and picks them up.  She helps us with managing the house, too.  Sometimes she grocery shops for us, runs errands, cleans the house, whatever we need.......Sarah is there for all of us. 

This week Sarah scheduled a special night for Joshua and herself.  She took him to Chuck E. Cheese.  She has to love him to take him to Chuck E. Cheese on a Friday night, right?  Here is the conversation from this evening's ride home.

Joshua:  "I had so much fun with Sarah."
Luke:  "I never get a special time with Sarah."
Mom:  "Luke...you have a special time with Sarah every Tuesday when she takes you to Little Gym, out to lunch, to visit with Mr. Marty and Miss Linda's house (Sarah's parent's house)...."
Luke:  "I never get a special night with Miss Sarah."
Mom:  "Oh, Luke.....Joshua used to have special days with Miss Sarah, but now that he is in school all day during the week, he does not get to see Sarah as much.  So it is nice for them to spend a little time together."
Joshua:  "Don't worry, Luke.  When you get older, you will get to have a date, too."

Sarah is definitely a big part of our family.  We are very blessed to have her in our lives.  Truly Sarah is the sweetest, best friend, big sister, nanny to our boys!  We love you, Sarah!

I will always love you boys.

Love,

Mama

What Did We Do Before We Had You Two?





Mommy   &  Daddy in Paris - 2001





Dearest Joshua and Luke,

I know that you have often asked what kinds of things we did before we had you two.  Honestly, it is not easy to remember, but I can tell you that we always thought we were busy.  Yes, thought, because we were not really busy at all until you two came into our lives. And we dreamt of having you two in our lives for so long before God answered our prayers. 



Dad and I loved to travel a lot - San Fransisco, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Europe for several weeks in the summer - lots of places just the two of us.  Now our love of traveling is spent more on visiting family which we do LOVE, or visiting places with the family.  You both love seeing your cousins as much as we love seeing them now and before you two came along. 

Joshua and his Lego creations -
a house, a train, and a mouse

Dad and I LOVED eating out.  One of our favorite restaurants was Sweet Tomatoes. We would also catch a move after dinner.  We loved going to the movies.  Now on of the most watched movies at our house is How To Train a Dragon or Peter Pan.  We also liked watching our favorite shows on TV - Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, ER, and X-Files.  We loved X-Files.  Now we spend a lot less time in front of the TV or at the movies.  Once in a while after you have both gone to bed, we might watch a TV show together.  Dad's favorites are Pawn Star, Pickers, almost anything on the History Channel.  I prefer Forensic Files or some kind of mystery to solve. Of course, when you two have control over the TV, your preference is Backyardigans or Harold and the Purple Crayon. 

Our evenings usually consist of running you both to your activities - basketball practice, basketball games, piano lessons, Shake, Rattle, N' Roll, family nights at school, reading lots of books, stories, etc.  Joshua is currently wanting to hear about every adventure about Jack and Annie in the Magic Tree House series.  They both love listening to Dad read about these adventures.  Evenings are also filled with listening to Joshua read his books for Reading Count points at school, and the little bit of homework that he brings home each week.  Usually Luke works on writing his name, letters, or drawing during this time. Then, there is nothing like watching you two play Batman, Restaurant, build a fort, etc.  and play together. 

One thing is for sure, we do not miss our life before you both.  We might miss a little mommy and daddy time now and then, but we cherish every moment with you.  We dreamt of having you both for so long, and now life with you is everything we dreamed of and then some.  We know that there will be a time when you both will be so busy with your own things, and we will not be as important in your life....or maybe we will not be the center of what you do.....so in the meantime, we are going to continue to enjoy every moment of life with both of you.

I love you both more today than I did yesterday.

Love,

Mama